Painting machine



June 4, 1946. H. L. I Ewls 2,401,431

PAINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 23, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet l ff a;

/7/70P/VEY5.

June 4, 1946. H. L. I Ewls 2,401,431

PAINTING MACHINE INVENTOR. /Qmaz L l f 5J `fume 4, 1946. H. L. LEWIS 2,401,431

PAINTING MACHINE Filed Nov. 23, 1942 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. 750mm!) L. EW/5,

Patented June 4, 1946 PAINTING MACHINE Harold L. Lewis, Indianapolis, Ind., assigner to J. D. Adams Manufacturing Company, Indianapoiis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application November 23, 1942, Serial No. 466,578

' to apply saidppaint in the form of a stripe as the vehicle moves along a supporting surface. A further .object of my invention is to maintain the paint-supply in such a machine agitated in such a way as to prevent settling of the pigment and formation of a paint lm on the -walls of the paint container. invention is to produce a simple spray nozzle which will deliver paint in the form of a ilat spray of substantially uniform width at the point where it impinges upon the surface to which the paint is to be applied. An additional object of my invention is to produce a machine which is adjustable to vary the width oi' the paint-stripe.

In carrying out my invention, I mount upon a suitable vehicle an engine or other source of power, an air compressor, a blower, and a paint drum containing the supply of paint to be used. Desirably, the paint drum is arranged for rotation about a horizontal axis and is provided internally with agitating means which keeps the paint agitated as the drum' is revolved. The paint drum is hermetically sealed so that air supplied to it from compressor will force paint from it to a discharge nozzle which is also carried upon the vehicle. This nozzle is associated with a head to which air from the blower is led, the nozzle discharging obliquely into the head and impinging therein upon a flat surface which forms the stream of paint into a fiat sheetlike spray that will be carried by the air stream discharged from the blower into contact with the surface to be painted. 'Ihe discharge head is adjustably mounted upon the vehicle so that it can be supported in various positions and ar- Still another object of my ranged to discharge at various angles in each position.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention: Figs. 1 and 2 are left and right side elevations of the complete machine; Fig, 3 is a plan view of the machine; Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the .paint drum in partial section on the line 4--4 of Fig. 5; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the paint drum in partial section on the line y5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a detailed view illustrating the valve by which discharge of paint is controlled; Fig. 7 is a fragmental side elevation in partial section illustrating means by which the discharge head is supported and supplied with air; Fig. 8 is a fragmental front elevation of the machine illustrating some of the various possible positions oi' the discharge head; Fig. 9 is a fragmental side elevation similar to Fig. 2 but on an enlarged scale showing details of construction; Fig. 10 is a planview of the structure illustrated in Fig. 9; Fig. 11 `is a section on the line II-II of Fig. 12 showing details of the discharge head; and Fig. 12 is an axial section on the line |2-I2' of Fig. 11.

'I'he machine shown in the drawings and specically described herein is adapted for hand manipulation, but it is to be understood that my invention is not limited in its application to hand propelled machines. The machine illustrated comprises a frame I5 supported on front wheels I6 and rear wheels |1. At the rear end of the frame I5, a propelling handle I8 extends obliquely upwardly and rearwardly to an appropriate height so that an operator can propel the machine ahead of him as he walks.

Upon the frame I5, and desirably near the rear thereof, I mount a source of power such as a gasoline engine which is operatively connected to an air compressor 2| and a blower 22. Conveniently, the air compressor 2| is mounted upon the engine 20, while the blower 22 is mounted upon the frame |5 in advance of the engine. As shown, the air compressor 2| and the blower 2'2 are driven from the engine 20 by means of belt drives 23 and 24, although other forms of driving means may be used if desired.

Supported from the frame I5 in advance of the blower I have illustrated a paint drum 25 which is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis extending longitudinally of the frame I5. 'I'he drum 25 is closed at one end by an end wall 26 while the opposite end is provided with a removable closure or cover 21. 'I'he end wall 26 and cover 21 are provided respectively with bearings 28 and 29 for the reception of a stationary shaft 30 supported at its ends beyond the drum in brackets 3| and 32 extending upwardly from the vehicle frame l5.

As previously indicated, paint is forced from the paint drum 25 by the action of air under pressure supplied thereto; and the shaft 30 is accordingly arranged to permit the introduction of air into the drum and the discharge of paint therefrom. Conveniently, the shaft 30 is a composite structure formed of an intermediate portion welded to end portions in the form of elbows 36 and 31. The elbows 36 and 31, at least, are formed of pipe, desirably thick-walled 'and 2l.

drum 2l: while theothe'r elbow I1 extends downwardly within the drum approximately to the lowermost point thereof. Conveniently, the drum 2i is {fusto-conical in form, and the elbow l1 is'located at the larger end o! the'drum so lthat substantially all the paint therein may be discharged through the elbow Il. As illustrated, the elbows l and Il have bends of large radius, so that a flexible cleaning element can to the intermediate shaft-portion 35 a pair o! downwardly oblique arms Il (Fig. 4) which serve to support a rod It that extends axially of the drum to points near the opposite ends thereoi'.A

To the rod 48 I secure a plurality oi' downwardly extending arms 41 of graduated length which serve tosupport the ends and intermediate portions o! a second rod u that is generally parallel to the adjacent portion of the frusta-conical side wall o! the drum 2l. Upon the rod is a series oi' rollers 49 having central openings l! materially larger than the rod Il so that they may rest upon and be supported by the i'rustoconical wall o! the drum 2l. revolves in the operation o! the machine. the rolls 40 serve to break up any lumps of pigment in the paint and to prevent the building-up of a paint tllm on the drum-wall, while rotation ot the drum keeps the paint agitated and the pigment uni- Iormly suspended therein.

Air from the compressor 2l is supplied through a pipe li'to a tank l! equipped with a safety valve Il adapted to open when the pressure within the tank attains a predetermined maximum. From the tank 52, airis conveyed through a pipe N to the inlet elbow ll associated with the tank drum 25. It is usually advisable to provide in .the-pipe il a pressure-reducing valve M'.

'I'he discharge head l0, which is perhaps best illustrated in Figs. 11 and l2, comprises a hollow cylindrical body portion 6I having a hemispherical lower end provided with a transverse slot 62 of considerable width. Extending obliqueLv into the head 60 is a discharge nozzle Il which discharges transversely of the slot 62 and at a point slightly above the upper ends thereof. In the side of the discharge head opposite the nozzle 83 there is mounted a deilector member M conveniently in the form of a round rod slidably received in a boss 65 on the side oi the discharge head and adaptedto be held in adjusted D061- tion by means of a set screw 8S. The inner end of the defiector 64 is struck oil obliquely so as to provide a substantially vertical end face located approximately on the axis of the head in position to receive the paint-jet discharged from the nozzle 63 and to form such jet into a. relatively ilat, diverging spray.

Paint is supplied to the nozzle 83 through a pipe l0, which is connected to the discharge elbow 31 of the paint drum 25, and through a tlexthe pipe' "man s nipple u (rig. 11) mounted in the side of the discharge head Il and communicating with the nozzle I8. For the purpose 'I'he elbow ll, which as shown is the 'air inlet elbow, discharges laterally within the of controlling the discharge of paint from the nozzle there lis desirably associated therewith an axially movable needle valve 'Il biased toward 'closed position, as by a compressionspring ll.

charge port/8i (Fig. 6) oi' a three-way valve` 82 conveniently mounted upon the handle il. as will be clear from Figs. 3 and 6. The inlet'port of the valve B2 is connected -by a pipe I3 with thestorage tank l2. In addition to the inlet and discharge ports, the casing of the valve l2 also has a vent port Il; and the movable valve member 85 of the valve can be moved under the control oi an operating handle 4 to connect the discharge'port li either to the supply port or to the vent port el. With the discharge port ll connectedA to the supply port. as in the position illustrated in Fig. 6. air under, pressure will be supplied from the tank l! through thepipes I3 and 80 and the hose 'Il to the cylinder l1, thus forcing the piston l'Il therein upwardly and opening the valve member Il against the torce of the spring 18. If the operating handle Il of the valve 82 is moved to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 6, the valve-port Ii will communicate with the vent port Il, while the inlet port of the valve will be closed; and in this position of the valve, the spring l! will move the valve member 1I to closed position, air in the cylinder 11 be exhausted through the hose 1I, pipe tmandportsli and Il.

For the purpose of supporting the discharge head I0, the cylindrical body portion Il o! the latter telescopically receives the lower-endo! 00v elbow 90, being secured in placethereon as by ltheir attachment to the elbows Il and Il may be made secure.' 'Ihe outer end of the elbow 94 is also desirably split and provided with a ,clamp collar It, in order to secure it to the elbow 93.

The parts just described provide a mounting for the discharge head Il which is capable of extensive adjustment. thus making it possible to employ a machine embodying my invention not c only for the purpose o! striping a pavement or door. as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 8, but also for other uses. Thus, by loosening the clamp collar at the lower end of the conduit l! and rotating the elbow Il therein. the head .I can be arranged to discharge at any angle between the vertical and the horizontal. By rotating the elbow sl in the elbow Il, the head can be swung upwardly and outwardly relative to the frame of the vehicle, asindicated by the dottedline showing in Pig. 8; and in any such position, the elbow ll can be rotated in the conduit Il to vary the vertical vangle at which the head disible hose 1I (Fig. 3) which connects the end of '(9 charges. Desirably, the arms o! the elbow are into and out o f the elbow 94 and into and out of the conduit 92.

In applying stripes of paint to pavement, oors, and other horizontal surfaces it is sometimes desirable to conne the paint laterally and thus to dene positively the margins of the painted stripe. For this purpose, I may employ the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. This apparatus comprisesa pair of parallel vertical plates which extend longitudinallyv of the vehicle on opposite sides of the head 60and which are adapted to ride upon the pavement, oor, or other surface to be striped. Conveniently, the plates |00 are supported from the vehicle by means which permits them, when in operative position, to have a free vertical movement so that they may follow inequalities of the surface upon which they move; and such supporting means is desirably so arranged that the plates can be elevated out of contact with the supporting surface when it is not desired to use them.

v The plate-supporting means illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10 comprises a pair of bars |0| which are pivotally attached respectively to the plates |00v on an axis slightly ahead of the center of gravity of the latter and which extend rearwardly through D-straps |02 secured in vertical position at the rear end of the plates. The rear end of each bar |0| is provided with a hole for the reception of a rod |03. The rod |03 is supported in a horizontal position extending laterally of the vehlcle-by passing through a T-head |04, carries a plurality of spacing collars |05, and has screwthreaded ends for the reception of nuts |06. By varying the arrangement of the spacing collars relative to the bars |0| and the T-head L04, the position of each plate |00 relative to the T-head |04 can be varied widely to alter the spacing of the plates |00 from each other as well as their lateral disposition relative to the T-head.

To the T-head |04 there is secured a rearwardly-extending rod |08 which is slidably received in a bearing |09 and which has secured to its rear end a stop-sleeve ||0. A compression spring acting between the bearing I 09 and the T-head |04 urges the rod |08 forward to the limit provided by engagement of the stop sleeve ||0 with the bearing |09. By this arrangement, I minimize the possibility of damage should either of the plates |00 strike an object impeding its forward movement and also make it possible to extend a stripe closer to any transversely extending wall or other obstruction than would otherwise be possible. To prevent slight inequalities in the floor or pavement obstructing forward movement of the plates |00, the front lower corners of those plates may -be rounded off as indicated at |00' in Fig. 9.

In order to permit the plates |00 to be raised from the supporting surface when it is not desired to use them, the bearing |09 is pivotaily supported upon a horizontal transverse axis from a bracket ||2 carried by the vehicle frame I5. Also pivoted to the bracket ||2 on a horizontal mounting ofthe pedal H3 as the latter moves from engagement with the abutment Il! into engagement with the abutment IIB on the stopsleeve H0. l

'Y In the full-line position of the pedal il! illustrated in Fig. 9, such pedal is held by the spring ||1 in engagement with the abutment Illand out of contact with the sleeve 0. Accordingly, the rod |00 and bars |0| are free to swing as a unit about the axis of pivotal mounting of thethe entire assembly of plates |00, rods |08, etc.,

transverse axis is a pedal ||3 having a laterally extending portion ||4 disposed immediately above the stop-sleeve ||0. Movement of the pedal ||3 about its pivotal mounting in the bracket ||2 is limited by an abutment ||5 on such bracket and an abutment IIB on the stop-sleeve. A tension spring acting between an eccentric point on the pedal ||3 and the bracket ||2 is so arranged that its center-line crosses the axis of pivotal to rotate about the axis of pivotal mounting of the bearing |09 into the dotted-line position illustrated in Fig. 9. In this position, the spring holds the pedal ||3 in contact with the abutment I6, and thus maintains the plates |00 in elevated position. When the plates |00 are raised, their rear ends drop under the influence of gravity to the limit of movement permitted by the D-straps |02, as will be clear from Fig. 9.

When the machine is in operation, the air supplied to the head 00 from the blower 22 is discharged from the slot 82 radially of the hemispherical lower end of the head, or in the form of a fan-shaped jet. The stream of paint leaving the deector 04, while generally ilat and divergent in form, diverses less than the air jet discharged from the slot 62; and the action of the air on the paint streamtherefore tends to spread the latter. Because of the divergent character of the paint stream, the width of the stripe it produces can be varied by varying the distance between the head and the surface to which the paint is applied; and such distance can be controlled by appropriate adjustment of the joints in the air-conduit 92--83-94. In addition to increasing the divergence of the paint spray, the air stream also blows dust and loose dirt from the surface to be painted and aids in propelling the paint against such surface with considerable force so that all cracks and depressions will be lled.

As a result of the spreading action of the air on the paint stream some discrete drops of paint might be directed outwardly beyond the limits of the body of the paint spray where they would strike the plates |00 or, in the absence of such plates, would strike the surface to be painted beyond the limits of the stripe, thus creating an undesirable appearance. To prevent this I apply to the head 00 in the plane of the slot 62 two inwardly and downwardly curved air-deflecting wings |20, shown in Figs. 8, 11, and 12. These wings are desirably concave inwardly in crosssection and are considerablywider than the slot 62. They serve to intercept air discharged near the ends of the slot B2 and to Adeflect such air toward the edges of the paint spray so as to return to the body of the spray any discrete paint drops which are beyond the edges of such spraybody. The lower ends of the wings |20 should lie close to but beyond the edges of the fan-shaped body of the paint spray, and therefore the distance between them should obviously not be less than the widest stripe which the machine is to produce.

In operation, the head Il is first adjusted to the position necessary to produce a stripe of the desired width and disposition, and is secured in that position by tightening the clamp-collars l5. If the stripe is to be formed on a horizontal surface, the collars |05 and bars lill are so arranged on the rod |03 that the plates |00 will lie on that surface at the edges of the stripe to be produced. With the engine running and the plates in contact with the supporting surface as the result of tripping the pedal IIS, the valve-handle 80 is moved from the dotted-line to the full-line position of Fig. 6 to open the paint-valve 15, and the machine is pushed along the supporting surface along the path the stripe is to follow. Paint is forced from the drum 25 by compressed air supplied thereto through the pipe 5t, is discharged from the nozzle 6I, and strikes the deflector B4 to be formed into a substantially continuous, fanshaped sheet as previously described. As the operator continues to push the machine, the paintsheet, striking the supporting surface, forms the desired stripe. At the point where the stripe is to stop, the operator moves the valve-handle IB to the dotted-line position of Fig. 6. thus closing the paint-valve and stopping the discharge of paint. If another stripe is to be produced immediately. the engine may be left running while the machine, desirably with the plates |00 elevated, is moved to the position where such stripe is to start; otherwise, the engine is stopped.

I claim as my invention: l

l. A machine of the type described, comprising a wheel-supported frame, a discharge head adjustably supported on said frame and having an air passage extending therethrough, a deflector positioned in said passage and having a paintreceiving surface disposed generally longitudinally of said passage, a paint nozzle discharging obliquely into said passage, said deflector vbeing dispod with its deflecting surface on the axis of said nozzle, whereby the paint-iet discharged from the nozzle will impinge upon said defiecting surface, means for supplying air to said passage. and means for supplying paint under pressure to said nozzle.

2. In a machine of the type described, a.v discharge head having an air passage andan elongated air-discharge opening curved in a longitudinal plane of the passage to form a divergent airjet, means for supplying air to said passage, and means for forming within said passage a generalbr flat jet of paint coplanar with said air-discharge opening and directed thereinto axially of the passage.

3. The invention set forth in claim 2 with the addition of downwardly projecting air-deflecting wings mounted on said head adjacent the ends of said discharge opening to deflect toward said jet of paint air discharged from said air discharge opening adjacent the ends thereof.

5. A machine of the type described, comprising a wheeled vehicle. means carried by said vvehicle A for forming a downwardly directed iet of paint,

4. In a machine of the type described, a discharge head having an air passage and an elongated air-discharge opening curved in a longitudinal plane of the passage to form a divergent air-jet, means for supplying air to said passage. a paint deflector having within said passage a paint-deflectng surface disposed substantially on the axis of the passage and coplanar with said air-discharge opening, and means for directing a jet of paint obliquely against said paint-deflecting surface.

said jet being approximately flat and fan-shaped and disposed in a plane transverse to the direction of movement of said vehicle, said jet being adapted to form a stripe oi' paint on the surface over which the vehicle moves, a pair of vertical plates extending longitudinally of the vehicle on opposite sides of said paint-Jet, and means supporting said plates from said vehicle, said means being adjustable alternatively to support said plates eitherin contact with the surfaceupon which the vehicle rests or in an elevated position above such surface, said plates being so disposed laterally of the vehicle that when in their lower position their lower edges will be substantially coincident with the' edges of such Jet at the point where said jet strikes such surface.

6. The invention set forth in claim 5 with the addition that said jet-forming means is vertically adjustable to vary the width of said jet at the point where it strikes the surface o ver which the vehicle moves. said plate-supporting means including provisions for varying the distance between said plates whereby to maintain their lower edges in approximate coincidence with the edges lof the stripe produced by said jet.

7. A machine of the type described, comprising a wheeled vehicle, means carried by said vehicle for forming a flat, fan-shaped jet of paint disposed in a plane extending transversely of the vehicle and adapted to form a stripe on a surface it strikes as the vehicle is moved, and a pair of plates extending normally to such surface and longitudinally of the vehicle on opposite sides of the paint-jet, said plates being so disposed that they are approximately cincident with the edges of -such .iet at the point where said .iet strikes such surface. v

8. In a machine of the type described, a wheeled vehicle, a paint container supported from said vehicle for rotation about a horizontal axis, a plurality of rollers disposed within said container, means loosely supporting said rollers in the lowermost portion of said container in frictional engagement with the side wall thereof, a paint nozzle,'means for rotating said container, and means for supplying paint to said nozzle from said container as the latter rotates.

9. The invention set forth in claim 8 with the addition that said container is sealed, said paintsupplying means comprising an air compressor mounted on said vehicle for supplying air under pressure to said container, and a conduit for conveying paint from said Acontainer to said nozzle, said conduit including a portion extending from a point in the lowermost portion of the container upwardly and thence axially through an end wall of the container to said nozzle.

10. In a machine of the type described, a discharge head having an air passage extending therethrough, a deflector positioned in said passage and having a paint-receiving surface disposed generally longitudinally of said passage, a paint nozzle discharging obliquely into said passage, said deflector being disposed with its deflecting surface on the axis of said nozzle, whereby the paint-jet discharged from the nozzle will impinge upon said deflecting surface, means for supplying air to said passage, and means for forcing paint through said nozzle.

HAROLD L. LEWIS. 

